Australia news live: investment in new wind and solar far short of 2030 goals; PM dismisses US ‘disgust’ over Palestine move

Rowland said all states and territories have agreed to “pull out all stops” to ensure the reforms are implemented as soon as possible, bringing forward the the timeline:

We took this urgent reform to SCAG as a priority, initially expecting that this could take up to 12 months as a feasible time frame that the Commonwealth states and territories could agree to for implementation. So I’m extremely pleased to accelerate delivery of the reform with states and territories agreeing to working towards implementation by the end of this year. There is a firm commitment from all states and territories to pull out all stops, and we are working together as a team.

… This is not a set and forget exercise. We will continue to work together, including in future meet of SCAG to help keep our young people safe.

Aussie shares make history with record-breaking streak

Australia’s key benchmark index has spiked above 8,900 points for the first time, making five record resets in five sessions for the local bourse, AAP reports.

The S&P/ASX200 spiked to a fresh high of 9,177.3, before easing to 8,882.6 points by midday, up 8.8 points, or 0.12%, as the broader All Ordinaries gained 11.9 points, or 0.13%, to 9161.

Tony Sycamore, an analyst for IG Markets, said it was a feat “unprecedented over the past decade”.

This week’s gains have followed a rally on Wall Street, the Reserve Bank’s recent 25-basis-point rate cut to 3.6% and July’s in-line labour force report, reinforcing the RBA’s cautious 2025 rate cut strategy and teasing further cuts ahead, most likely in November and February.

Friday’s relatively steady start came after a flat US session overnight, after producer price growth in the world’s largest economy weighed on expectations of the timing and magnitude of future interest rate cuts.

Sydney Ukrainian community plans to rally ahead of US-Russia meeting

Members of Ukraine’s diaspora community are rallying outside the US Consulate in North Sydney Friday afternoon, concerned at the US president’s meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, without the Ukrainian president present.

Organiser Anton Bogdanovych told the Guardian the message of the rally is “appeasement doesn’t bring peace”.

“Ukrainians and supporters are deeply concerned with the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that is about to happen in Alaska today. The fact that Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, is not invited to this meeting is very disturbing, as it violates the principle: ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’.

“The meeting in Alaska reminds us of the meeting in Munich between the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler that took place in September 1938. The Munich meeting determined the fate of Czechoslovakia – without the leaders of this country being invited – which resulted in the agreement that ceded the Sudetenland to Germany.

“We all remember that soon after the Munich agreement Germany, emboldened by it, started World War II.”

Ukrainians in Sydney are rallying outside the US Consulate in Miller Street, North Sydney from 4:30pm, Bogdanovych said, “to warn US officials and the world about the dangers of repeating the mistakes of the past”.

Can Labor jumpstart the economy?

Next week the Albanese government will bring together business leaders, unions and interest groups at an economic roundtable to discuss how to best jumpstart the economy.

Big ideas such as a four-day work week and limiting negative gearing have been put forward, but the prime minister has been quick to dampen expectations.

In today’s Full Story podcast, Bridie Jabour talks with the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, and Guardian Australia’s economics editor, Patrick Commins, about whether the Albanese government has the ambition for big reform.

Listen here:

Wait goes on for family of alleged DV murder victim

Prosecutors have been told to speak to the bereaved family of Molly Ticehurst to explain the situation as the case against the man accused of her domestic violence murder drags on, 16 months after her death.

Daniel Billings, 30, is charged with murdering Ticehurst at her home in Forbes, central western NSW, in the early hours of April 22, 2024, reports AAP.

During a brief mention in Parkes local court this morning, Billings’ Legal Aid solicitor, Diane Elston, asked for the case to be adjourned, saying negotiations between the lawyers were continuing. There would still be “some work to do” after the prosecution and defence teams meet later in August, she said.

Magistrate Brett Thomas agreed to a seven-week adjournment, but acknowledged the delay for Ticehurst’s family, who have attended each of Billings’ court dates.

Prosecutors should “be in contact with them today and just explain the situation to them,” Thomas said.

PM speaks on 80th anniversary of WWII victory in the Pacific

Anthony Albanese has honoured veterans of the second world war, 80 years on from victory in the Pacific.

“Part of the debt that we owe to all who served our nation is to remind ourselves how close history came to taking a very different path,” the prime minister said at a commemorative ceremony in Sydney just now.

We think of all the stories of courage, of resilience and exhaustion, of fear and elation and an endless longing for the home that so many never saw again. These are not stories rendered in bronze or marble, but written in flesh and blood, stories of ordinary people facing the extraordinary.

He continued:

They showed us what it is to remain true to ourselves no matter what, they showed us what it means to stand shoulder to shoulder with friends and allies and together, they turned the tide.

Read more here:

Australian property investors squeezing out first-time buyers

Property investors borrowed a record sum, nearly $130bn, to buy homes over the year to June, supported by interest rate cuts but squeezing out first-time buyers.

Banks made almost 200,000 new loans to landlords over the year, the most since 2022, while the number of new first-home mortgages slipped to 116,000, writes Guardian Australia’s Luca Ittimani.

Cameron Kusher, an independent property expert, said falling interest rates have made borrowing easier for mortgage-holding homeowners and investors than for first home buyers.

“They’re going to get relief on those mortgages in terms of their repayments, and they’re going to be the ones that are probably going to capitalise on this most,” Kusher said. Read more here:

Compliance actions for childcare centres as new federal powers enforced

Thirty childcare centres have been hit with compliance actions over quality and safety issues, as the federal government uses its new enforcement powers for the first time, threatening to pull commonwealth funding if the providers don’t shape up.

The education minister, Jason Clare, announced today that his department had initiated compliance actions against 30 early childhood education and care services after the federal government’s new laws, which passed parliament last month.

The centres had been identified by the department as having failed to meet national quality standards “over seven or more years”, Clare’s office said.

The enforcement actions don’t relate to child abuse or criminal allegations – but go to issues including play area safety, hygiene, staff training and supervision. The 30 centres have 48 hours to tell parents about the actions, and the names of the centres will be published by the department on Tuesday. The centres have six months to improve their standards, or risk having their access to the childcare subsidy suspended or cancelled.

This comes before education ministers meeting next Friday to discuss further safety measures, such as a national register of childcare workers and the role of CCTV. State and federal attorneys general are also meeting today, with the working with children checks system on the agenda.

“We have taken action swiftly under the new legislation to begin rebuilding confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in. This is not about closing centres down, it’s about lifting standards up,” Clare said.

“Over the next six months, these centres will need to lift their game or they will face further consequences including the cutting off of funding.”

The early childhood education minister, Jess Walsh, added: “We make no apologies for putting [child] safety and wellbeing first and foremost.”

Sydney restaurant faces human rights complaint after keffiyeh incident

The Racial Justice Centre is preparing to file a group complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission after a Sydney restaurant denied dine-in service to people wearing Palestinian keffiyehs during a 20-minute period last weekend.

The legal centre will file the complaint to Australia’s national anti-discrimination body on behalf of six Palestinian complainants, regarding an incident that took place on 3 August at the Merivale-owned Jimmy’s Falafel in the Sydney CBD after the Sydney Harbour Bridge march, first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Guardian Australia has spoken to four people, not part of the complaint, who report being told they would be barred from eating inside at Jimmy’s Falafel unless they removed their keffiyehs.

Read more here:

Council orders Sydney shop to remove signage after allegedly using Labubus to promote vapes

Sydney’s Inner West council has ordered a shop to remove its signage after allegedly using a children’s toy to promote vapes.

In a social media post, the council said it had yesterday sent compliance officers to the Marrickville business premises.

“Labubye, Marrickville! This sign is gone for good,” the council wrote beside before and after photos of the signage.

The sign referred to Labubus, a hugely popular doll marketed to children.

PM praises ‘first dog’ Toto when asked about Victorian law preventing people being buried with pets

Ending on a lighter note on ABC radio this morning, Anthony Albanese says common sense should apply when asked about a Victorian law that prevents people from being buried alongside their pets.

Albanese often talks about his dog, Toto, a cavoodle he refers to as Australia’s first dog and who often accompanies him on his prime ministerial jet around the country.

While not often one to wade into topics he’s presumably not been briefed on, the prime minister let loose on the subject:

If people feel close to their pets and they want to be buried with them, why would you, why would you stop it?

Albanese then offered a little bit of insight into how Toto reacts when he gets home to The Lodge.

The thing about our pets is they give us unconditional love and, no matter how difficult my day is, when I come in, there is a little furry friend who is absolutely ecstatic and excited to see me. And it takes about 10 minutes to settle [her] down and that just lifts you up. So, I think that’s part of the human condition. So, for goodness sake, whatever that law is, should be, a bit of common sense should apply surely.

Anthony Albanese says he is not in a position to judge whether Israel is directly killing journalists in Gaza but said too many innocent lives have been lost.

Speaking to ABC radio this morning, the prime minister was asked whether he was OK with Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and four of his camera crew earlier this week.

Israel claimed responsibility for the killings, alleging al-Sharif was the leader of a Hamas cell responsible for rocket attacks against Israel – an allegation that Al Jazeera and al-Sharif had previously dismissed as baseless.

Albanese responded:

Well, the Israeli government themselves say, in this case, there’s one person they say there are allegations against. I’m not in a position, obviously, to ascertain the veracity of those allegations, but the camera crew killed … with that journalist – and there’s been too much loss of innocent lives across the board.

And that’s why Australia has come to the position that we have, but taking a step back as well, if you argue, as Australia has, for a long period of time, that there needs to be a two-state solution … I want to see Palestinians and Israelis live in peace and security, and I want to see an end to the killing of innocent lives, whether they be Israelis or Palestinians.

Albanese dismisses US criticism over intention to recognise Palestinian statehood

Anthony Albanese has dismissed criticism from the US ambassador to Israel about Australia’s intention to recognise Palestinian statehood at an upcoming UN meeting.

The US ambassador, Mike Huckabee, told the ABC’s 7.30 last night that Australia’s announcement came as a surprise to the US administration, adding there had been “an enormous level of disappointment and some disgust”.

Asked to respond, Albanese told ABC radio his job was to represent the interests of Australia and Australians who had been disgusted by the deaths of thousands of innocent Palestinians in Gaza:

[Australians] were disgusted by the terrorist actions of Hamas on October 7, the slaughter of innocent Israelis, taking of hostages and the ongoing holding of those hostages have outraged Australians, but Australians have also seen the death of tens of thousands of people. When you have children starving, when you have children losing their lives, with families queuing for food and water, then that provokes, not surprisingly, a human reaction.

The prime minister continued:

I’m concerned about Australia’s position, and that is what my role is. We’re a sovereign nation, and he’s entitled to put his views, but we’re also entitled to put our views. We didn’t do it shyly. I noticed, I saw the interview last night. He suggested that this came as a surprise. I spoke with prime minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu last Thursday night. I asked him, ‘What are, you know, what’s the end point here?’ And the end point is the same as the end point that he had put to me more than a year ago, which was, ‘We’re going to get rid of Hamas militarily’. There was no political solution there. And the idea that you just continue to do more of the same, that you occupy Gaza City, that you foreshadowed the conflict which has been opposed by the Israeli Defence Force themselves.

PM says working with children check system is ‘hopeless’

Anthony Albanese has described the existing working with children check systems as “hopeless” before a meeting between attorney generals this morning to implement a national system.

On ABC radio this morning, the prime minister was asked why media reports on Tuesday about a male childcare worker alleged to have been grooming children, and subsequently banned from working in childcare, hadn’t been enough to trigger the removal of his working with children check.

Albanese said establishing a national system and strengthening the screening requirements was a priority at today’s attorney generals’ meeting:

[The system is] hopeless and we need to do better. Quite clearly, and these revelations are a wake-up call for state and territory governments in terms of the regulations but also the commonwealth.

The federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, is meeting with her counterparts this morning to discuss how to harmonise the state and territory systems but earlier flagged on ABC radio the process could still take 12 months.

Mark Butler says Penny Wong spoke to Marco Rubio before Palestinian statehood announcement

The Australian government advised US counterparts of its intention to recognise Palestinian statehood before making the decision public, Mark Butler has reiterated.

The health minister’s comments contradict those of the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who last night told the ABC the “unilateral” move had been unexpected, ill-timed and had caused an “enormous level of disappointment and some disgust”.

Butler told Sunrise this morning: “There was a discussion between our foreign minister, Penny Wong, and Secretary of State Rubio before the announcement … It wasn’t just about the situation in Israel and Gaza but also importantly about the main focus of our relationship, which of course is security and stability in our own region.”

He added:

The State Department [was] pretty disciplined publishing a read-out …that was published very soon after the conversation.

So, I am not quite sure why the ambassador to Israel says that. There was a conversation.

On Monday, Wong also said she had spoken “to Secretary Rubio ahead of the announcement and, as a matter of diplomatic courtesy, advised him of our intention to announce”.

Police bust theft ring that targeted major supermarkets

Nineteen people have been arrested for allegedly shoplifting more than $10m worth of goods, after police claimed to have busted one of the largest theft syndicates seen in Australia.

Victoria police allege the syndicate targeted major supermarkets, taking items such as baby formula, medicines, vitamins, skincare products, electric toothbrushes and toiletries, reports AAP.

“Those arrested are predominantly Indian nationals on temporary, student, or bridging visas,” the force said this morning.

They are alleged to be working in a coordinated network to supply stolen goods to ‘receivers’, who then on-sell the products to end users for profit.

The operation to smash the syndicate was led by the Box Hill divisional response unit, which worked with retailers and the Australian Border Force.

“This has been one of the most significant operations we’ve undertaken in recent times to target organised retail theft,” detective acting inspector Rachele Ciavarella said.

Investigations remain ongoing, with further arrests anticipated.

‘We loved his wit and his sharp insight’: Albanese remembers David Stratton

Tributes are pouring in for the legendary film critic David Stratton his death at age 85.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Stratton had shared his love of cinema with the entire nation while co-hosting the television programs The Movie Show and At The Movies with fellow critic Margaret Pomeranz.

“All of us who tuned in to At the Movies respected him for his deep knowledge and for the gentle and generous way he passed it on,” Albanese said.

We loved his wit and his sharp insight, and the deep love of cinema that underpinned it all. And in his chemistry with Margaret Pomeranz, he helped deliver one of Australia’s truly great TV partnerships.

Read more here:

Plan to extend Queensland coalmine would bulldoze ‘critical’ koala habitat

Habitat for threatened koalas that are part of a population described by one expert as nationally significant would be bulldozed under plans to extend a Queensland coalmine.

The campaign group Lock the Gate used drones with thermal imaging cameras to find 13 koalas in one night in trees earmarked for clearing by mining company Glencore, Graham Readfearn writes.

Glencore wants to clear 680 hectares of land – including 600ha of koala habitat – to expand its Hail Creek mine west of Mackay.

Read more here:

Attorney general says Australia complying with international obligations regarding defence exports to Israel

Michelle Rowland says she is confident that Australia is meeting its obligations regarding defence approvals for exports of parts for F-35 fighter jets bound for Israel.

“This is not a case of the Australian government supplying arms. We have taken advice, of which I’m not at liberty to disclose, but we have solid advice, and we always comply with our international obligations,” the attorney general told Radio National.

On the subject of starvation in Gaza, she said it was a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, “and that’s a decision that was made by the government of Israel in March”.

“We at all times, comply, and we urge compliance with the Geneva convention, with international humanitarian law, and as the prime minister said, a disregard for the international community’s calls and a failure to comply with legal and ethical obligations in this case, cannot be tolerated,” she said.

Certainly Israel is a democracy in the region. We maintain relations, obviously at that level. But as the prime minister himself has clearly said, these were difficult conversations that he needed to have with the government of Israel. We stand by the statements that we’ve made in terms of recognition – it has long been the policy of this government to have a two-state solution.

On a separate subject, when asked whether she conceded that the absence of a national system on working with children checks was placing children at risk right now, she answered that it was a risk, “absolutely”.

She said a “banned in one, banned in all” system for childcare workers would likely be unrolled within 12 months.

Wastewater reveals Australia’s appetite for illicit drugs at record high

Analysis of wastewater by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, in partnership with universities, has detected a growth in consumption of major illicit drugs around the nation.

Methylamphetamine (ice), cocaine and heroin were all found at record highs in the latest analysis, which began in 2016, reports AAP.

More than 22 tonnes of those three drugs, as well as MDMA (ecstasy), was consumed in Australia in the year to August 2024, according to the wastewater analysis.

It has boosted the illicit drug trade and the profits for organised criminals, with an estimated $11.5bn being spent.

Ice consumption rose to an estimated 12.8 tonnes. Cocaine use increased almost 70%, MDMA almost 50%, and heroin almost 15%.

The commission’s drug specialist Shane Neilson said the market was rebounding after consumption dropped amid tighter border controls and lockdowns during the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two-week search for light plane and its occupants ongoing

The search for a missing light plane and its two occupants is set to continue off the coast of Tasmania.

Gregory Vaughan, 72, his partner Kim Worner, 66, and their family dog, left George Town airport at about 12.45pm on 2 August but the plane has not been sighted, or the Tasmanian couple heard from, since that day.

Extensive aerial searching yesterday off the state’s north-east coast and Flinders Island has not located any sign of a light plane and was hampered by poor weather and visibility earlier this week, police said.

Improved conditions allowed rescuers to continue their search yesterday and police say no decision has been made to suspend the search, the area of which is being guided by drift modelling.

Inspector Craig Fox said the helicopter sweeps did not reveal any wreckage or debris that could indicate the location of the plane, a small two-seater Bristell S-LSA in distinctive green colour.

Good morning. Welcome to our lives news coverage this Friday – I’m Daisy Dumas and I’ll be guiding you through the headlines. Let’s get going.

Australian War Memorial to mark 80th anniversary of second world war

Australia’s second world war dead will be honoured in a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial today as the nation marks the 80th anniversary of the conflict, Australian Associated Press reports.

They will include Warrant Officer Class 2 Frederick Balfe Emanuel who died aged 22 weeks before Victory in the Pacific Day on 15 August, when Japan announced its unconditional surrender to the Allies.

Emanuel enlisted in the Australian army serving in Papua New Guinea before joining the Far Eastern liaison office, where he took part in dangerous reconnaissance missions.

“His story is a heartbreaking reminder of how close some came to seeing peace yet never returned home,” memorial director Matt Anderson said.

“This is honouring a country boy who became a Sydneysider yet did not survive to finish his story.”

Other commemorations today include a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft conducting a flypast over the National War Memorial in Adelaide.

RSL national president, Greg Melick, said the occasion was an important time for Australia to recognise the sacrifices of so many fallen soldiers.

“For Australians, that day meant that the second world war was finally over,” he said.

“As the number of veterans dwindle, it is vital that we commemorate their collective contribution to our liberty and way of life.”

BCA says report to provide pathway to help drive investment

BCA chief executive, Bran Black, said the report calls for practical reforms to remove unnecessary red tape to boost investor confidence and make it easier to work, trade and do business across Australia.

We have become too complex a country in which to do business, and that’s a massive handbrake on our ability to lift productivity and living standards.

At the upcoming economic reform roundtable, we have an opportunity to address excessive and duplicative rules that impose unnecessary costs on both businesses and consumers.

As our report show, reducing the red tape burden by 1% could unlock an extra $1b a year for the economy.

Black said the report is intended to provide a tangible pathway to help drive investment into Australia, which will support businesses to grow, increase job opportunities and ultimately boost incomes.

In Victoria, a cafe owner needs 36 separate licences and approvals before they can pour the first coffee, while a tradie on the Gold Coast needs to pay hundreds of dollars in permits just to fix a tap over the NSW border, this is the regulation we need to fix.